A Different Type of Gal
by echo-WLH
Summary: Rei and Aya have a relationship that's always threatening to tip over and make a mess, but she knows there's no one better than him. Things get weirder when she enters the entertainment industry. ReixAya


**WLH: I do not own the manga and anime Gals! I kind of wish I did though. There would be a lot more ReixAya scenes if I did x3**

* * *

Ran was on the phone, tapping one of her long nails on the exterior as she spoke.

"I see… yeah, and you saw that on a 50 percent sale?" she was murmuring, for fear of anyone overhearing. "Alright. Make sure it's still there," she whispered. "I'll meet you there tomorrow at eleven." She put a hand on her hip and smiled in anticipation. "Seeya!"

"That was Miyu?" Aya asked curiously as Kotobuki slipped her phone back into her purse.

"Yeah. She saw the top I had my eye on for weeks now, and it was on 50 percent sale! I can't believe it… as soon as I saw it, I knew I needed it, but my dumb old man wouldn't give me a raise," Ran explained. "Speaking of my dumb old man…"

Aya sighed as her friend rambled about how many things she was grounded for by her father. Something buzzed in her handbag and she zipped it open, withdrawing her own cellphone. Its LCD screen was lit up, and reported that she had a new text message. She flipped it open and read it silently. Her face flared up. It was from Otohata, and said five simple words: Where are you right now? Funny how this could make her blush. She quickly sent a reply and decided against placing her phone back into her purse at the risk of missing his reply.

"…and so he gave his lecture on me inheriting the family line of work," Ran was grumbling, waving a freshly manicured hand. "He dragged it on too, on purpose, and I nearly missed this really important…"

Aya squeaked as her cellphone buzzed wildly in her hands again, and the noise made her friend shut up.

"What is it, Aya?" questioned Ran, peering over Aya's shoulder as she read the new text. "Hey…" she realized. "That's from Otohata!" A wide grin spread on her face. "He's coming here with second place, huh?"

"Y-yes… I told him I was going out with you today, and a few minutes ago, he texted me asking me where we were…" Aya replied. "He had some photoshoot in the area with Yuuya-san."

"I think he wanted to see you," Ran observed perkily. She shook a finger at her friend and winked playfully. "I've texted him a few times… and trust me, he _never_ replies, let alone strike up conversation."

Aya smiled, embarrassed, and shook her head in denial. "He probably just texted me to see where we were," she explained. "And he probably didn't want to call me for fear of interrupting whatever we were doing."

"Yeah, but he could have texted me instead of you," Ran spun around on her heel. Aya watched, amazed that she didn't tip over.

"Well, my last name does come first in alphabetical order," she countered. "He probably just texted the first one of us that popped up."

Ran jerked to a stop and let out a laugh. "Come on, Aya, I mean, I know Otohata is lazy, but he's not _that _bad…"

"Well, at least that's something," came a smooth voice that sent Aya's head spinning. Rei was walking up to them, Yuuya close behind.

Ran turned around and gave the two approaching boys the victory sign. "Hey Otohata, second place!" she greeted enthusiastically. "How'd the photoshoot go?"

"Hey Ran!" Yuuya said. "Hi Aya!"

"How did you find out we had a photoshoot?" remarked Rei, who recalled only confiding this in Aya through texting.

"It was in your text to Aya, silly," she replied. "And naturally, being one of her best friends, I monitor any texts she receives to ensure she isn't being stalked by pervs!!"

Aya blushed. "I really don't think that's going to happen anytime soon…" she trailed. Then she smiled. "Thank you, Ran. I didn't know you were that concerned over my well-being."

"It was more like she was curious as to why you were getting texts from the 'one who never touches his cellphone.'" Yuuya muttered, earning him a hard kick from Ran. He ouched.

"Anywayss…" Ran continued, her pulsing vein subsiding. "Of course it can happen. You're too trusting, Aya… and a cute girl like you could easily be taken advantage of."

"Um…" the other uttered, sweatdropping.

"She won't get taken advantage of," Rei cut in.

"Y-yes, of course I won't," Aya followed up, smiling. "I'm not as pretty or outgoing as you, Ran, so I would hardly be a target compared to you." She tilted her head to the side, blue-black hair shining.

Rei realized what he had unintentionally implied in saying that and corrected, "That's not what I meant." He sighed. "I meant that I'll always make sure Hoshino is okay, so you don't have to worry so much."

"Woah," his friend cut in from behind. "Are you suggesting something here?" Yuuya smirked.

"Yeah, yeah!" Ran chimed, nudging Aya with her elbow.

This made Aya blush further and withdraw her eye contact with Rei, who was shocked by his own sadness at the loss of those soft honey eyes upon him. He sighed.

"Believe what you'd like," he said dismissively. He began walking away from them, hands in his pockets.

Aya, smiling slightly and stuck with a decision, hesitated only a beat before running after him. "A-ano! Where are you going, Oto… Rei?"

He stared at her as she fell into step beside him, clutching her bag and keeping her eyes shyly focused on the ground. She had never called him 'Rei' before.

"I'm not to sure myself," he admitted. He continued to stare at her as they walked.

"Hey, hey, what's with that, leaving us behind like that! OYY!!" Ran yelled hysterically, leaping up in the air. Yuuya pulled her back.

"Lets leave them be for today," he suggested. "I have a hunch…"

Ran eyed him skeptically, then finally crossed her arms and agreed huffily, "Fine! But you better treat me to something delicious in return, second place!"

He sighed. "I expected as much."

And so he allowed himself to be towed off to the nearest café by Shibuya's number one gal.

* * *

"…do you plan to follow me around for the whole day?" Rei finally asked the girl beside him, who had been faithfully following him for the past half hour.

She looked up quickly and blushed apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry… I'll leave you alone if you'd like." She hurriedly turned to go the opposite direction across the street, but a warm hand on her arm prevented her from pressing the stoplight crossing button. She stared directly up into the deep blue eyes of Rei.

"Did I say I wanted you to leave me alone?" he pressed.

She blushed deeply. "Well, I didn't…" She played with her fingers. He had to smile. It was his fault for teasing her like that, but somehow, he was constantly pleased with her partly flustered, partly confused, and partly happy reaction. He then noticed that her nails where trimmed neatly short, and were unpainted save for a light French manicure.

"You cut your nails," he mentioned. They continued to walk as they had before.

"Oh!" she was surprised he had noticed, then smiled a little sheepishly. "I never really liked having long nails… and recently I've been playing the piano again, so I need them to be short." She laughed. "Ran hasn't caught them yet, but I wonder what her reaction will be if she finds out."

This snagged Rei's attention. "You play the piano?"

Aya smiled widely. "Yes, I do. I took lessons for almost eight years when I was younger, and I always played for leisure even after I quit them. Then, when I got into high school, studies were too stressful, so I stopped playing for a bit."

"I see…" was his usual blunt response. His hands found his pockets again. "Then… what made you start up?"

She laughed. "Well, it's a little embarrassing, but I've been composing songs lately. Now that junior year's almost over, studies have been lightening up, so I find the time."

"Compose?" He was deeply interested.

"Yes…" Aya continued, unhindered by the sudden interest that wasn't usually there. "I like to sing, so I just…" She cut off when she noticed he had stopped walking. He stood there, hands stuffed in his pockets, leaning forward slightly, eyes locked on hers. "Rei?" she asked.

He stared at her for a bit longer before suddenly tipping his head back to stare at the blue sky. "Do you think it might be okay…" he began, "…if I could come listen to some of your music sometime?"

Her eyes widened. No one had asked that before. "Uhm, yes! I guess it's okay…"

"Good." He looked back down at her, then smiled. He tilted his head in the direction of a café nearby, then held his hand out in an unusual sign of gentlemanliness. "Let's go. I'll treat you."

For once, she managed to withhold a blush and took his hand, albeit shyly, allowing him to lead her into the café.

_I don't know exactly what's going on…_ she thought, looking up at him. _But he seems to be okay with me being around. And… maybe… a little happy as well?_

* * *

"Are you serious?" The blond girl squealed upon hearing her friend talk about what had happened to her three days ago. "Miyu is super surprised! I didn't know Otohata had feelings for you."

"Oh no!" Aya denied quickly. She stared down at the hands folded in her lap. "I don't think he'd ever have feelings for anyone, let alone a quiet girl like me. Ran, maybe. Maybe even you, Miyu."

Miyu shook her head knowingly. "Not me. Miyu already has her perfect Yamato-kun!" She clasped her hands to her chest, stared dreamily into the distance for a moment and then turned back to her friend with a kind smile. "It's like this, Aya-chan. Somehow, whenever Otohata talks to you, he changes." She put a finger daintily on her chin in thought. "It's as if he sees something special inside of you… something that's become very precious to him. Miyu's thinking that Otohata doesn't want to break that special something inside of you by drawing you into short-term relationships." Miyu took her friend by the hands. "You are a beautiful, loving person, Aya. When you fall in love, your love is innocent and deep… and Otohata doesn't want to change that. Look at Miyu now! It took a knight in shining armor like Yamato to heal my heart once more." She nodded. "Give him some time. I don't think that Otohata… is ready to be that knight right now."

Aya looked up at her brightly smiling friend and fought back tears. "Miyu…" And then, she laughed suddenly, lifting her head up and wiping the tears that were beginning to flow. "What am I crying for? Thank you, Miyu…" She gripped her friend's hands tightly and gave a determined smile. "I'll try my hardest to believe every word you said, so you have to be a bit patient with me until I can, alright?"

Miyu smiled. "That Miyu can do without a problem!"

Suddenly, a door banged open.

"I'm baack!!" Ran sang from the front door, waving a bag of snacks as if her two gals could see her. "Sorry I'm late! I saw the cutest cellphone stickers on the way back! See, come look!"

She burst in her room and flung herself on her bed. When she paused to grin at her friends, she noticed Aya's slightly puffy eyes.

"Hey," she said, suddenly concerned. "Aya, are you okay? What happened? Don't tell me it was that Otohata…"

Aya glanced quickly at Miyu who laughed. "Why would you think such a thing, Ran? Aya simply banged her leg on your dresser on the way back from the bathroom. Miyu told you to shove it closer to your bed. It sticks out too far and it's dangerous!"

"Aww you sound like my mom!" Ran protested, kicking the dresser so that it was no longer protruding into the doorway. "Oh Aya, you're still the cute little klutz you always were!"

Aya smiled at this, perking up. "I guess I am!"

The three of them laughed, and then crowded around to see the cellphone stickers Ran had bought on the way back from the grocery market.

"I used up all of this week's allowance buying three sets so you gals can each have a set as well! But it's worth it! Check it out, we can all match, but in different colors!" Ran exclaimed. She handed the sets out to her friends, grinning like a clam. "Here, Aya. You get the sparkly white ones… and Miyu, here's yours! I nearly ripped the rack apart finding the perfect hot pink for you…"

"Thanks Ran! These are extra cute!" Miyu said.

"Yeah, thanks!" Aya added, carefully arranging the stickers onto her cellphone. "I can never find any good cellphone stickers anymore."

"Ah, it was nothing," Ran replied, sticking a tongue out playfully.

"What's this!?" A voice shrieked suddenly. "Ran gets cute stickers for her friends and not for her own sister, you bet?" Sayo sailed into the room, holding her hat onto her head. She tumbled onto the bed and landed with a squeak on the ground. "Oww…" she whined, getting up slowly.

"Oh my! Good afternoon, Sayo!" Aya said, smiling.

Miyu laughed. "That was a funny entrance, if Miyu may say so herself!"

Ran sighed and rolled her eyes. She picked up her younger sister by the collar. "Sayo, how many times do I have to tell you to stop eavesdropping in on our conversations?"

Sayo pouted and crossed her arms as her sister dragged her out of the room. "I have to! It's my job as a great detective and a future policewoman, you bet!"

"Well then take your detective stuff elsewhere!" Ran hauled her sister out of the door and shut it firmly. "I'll buy you some stickers next week, when I get my allowance from dear daddy!" she called, the "dear daddy" part being 100 percent sarcasm.

"You promised, you bet!" Came the muffled reply. And then a squeal of, "Masato! You came to help me search the town for evildoers again, you bet?" The front door slammed shut.

"She sure is pretty hyper today," Aya remarked.

"Ugh…" Ran grumbled, holding a hand to her forehead. "She's my sister and I love her, but… sometimes, she overdoes it."

"Miyu doesn't think so," Miyu said. "Sayo is a healthy girl with a good sense of wanting to help the world. It's not that strange to be like that at a young age like hers."

Ran squashed her face into her pillow and mumbled something. Miyu nodded sympathetically and went over to pat her friend on the head. Aya sat watching them, a small smile on her face, when all of a sudden her cellphone buzzed. She opened her bag and stared at the lit up screen. A text. From Otohata. Face pink and making sure Miyu and Ran were occupied, she turned her back and flipped open her phone to read it.

_I just finished an interview session with Yuuya, and he's planning to meet up with Mami. I'm in the area, so if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to go to your house to listen to your music. _The text read.

Aya drew in a breath. Spending time with Otohata twice in one week. She texted a quick reply, thrust her phone into her purse, and stood up abruptly.

"I'm sorry, but something just came up and I have to be going now," she told the other two gals. "Thank you for inviting me over, Ran, and for the cute stickers as well."

"Well aren't you the busy one!" Miyu commented, waving her hand. "We'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"You better be there, Aya!" Ran said. "Especially since you have to leave so early today."

Aya peeked back into the room and smiled. "Okay." She was down the stairs and out the door in about two seconds, slipping on her sandals on the way.

* * *

Rei Otohata sat in the shade of a tree with a baseball cap jammed firmly on his head at an attempt to escape hordes of fangirls. He sat staring at his cellphone, which rested on his knee, waiting… As he waited, he reflected on just how much Aya had changed him, maybe just in little ways. He now was just about permanently attached to his cellphone, and his mother was shocked to see him actually carry it out of the house with him. He was constantly stopping to stare at his surroundings, and he was always seeing things from a different, more compassionate point of view. And, he wondered, with his head down, whether or not that was good for his current image. With a shrug, he concluded to himself that his image didn't really matter all that much anymore. Aya was a good girl. He wanted that to stay that way.

At that precise moment, his cellphone vibrated. He stared at it jittering on his knee for a few seconds before finally picking it up and flipping it open.

_Yes. If you'd like to, it's fine with me. I just hope you aren't disappointed. I'm not the best at composing songs, I'm afraid, or singing for that matter. But please do. It would… make me happy._

He stared at the text message. And then, with an emotionless face, he clamped it shut and slid it into his pocket. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets, and began the walk to Aya's house. This time, though, his cellphone was tucked neatly into his breast pocket, right beside his beating heart, which, despite his cool demeanor, had sped up just the slightest bit.

* * *

**WLH: Gals! It's not really my type of anime, but one pairing I saw really stuck to me, and that was Rei and Aya. I thought it might be fun to write a story about their carefully balanced relationship that keeps threatening to tip over, but manages to stay steady. I know, I know, I have many other stories to update. Major lag there. I need to start rereading Naruto… or the time skip at least. Well, I hope you enjoyed. Review? Send me lots of them and I'll update like a maniac :D**


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